Please take the time to read carefully the following Earthwatch Expedition Booking Conditions and Cancellation Policy and do not hesitate to contact Earthwatch if you have any questions.

Expedition Contribution
Costs Not Included
Payment Policy
Method of Payment
Cancellation Policy
Expedition Forms
Right of Refusal
Travel Bookings
Discounts for Past Team Members 

Expedition Contribution

The cost of each expedition (your contribution), may vary according to team dates so please check prior to making your booking. On average, expeditions range from AU$99 for 1 day to AU$5000 for 2 weeks, excluding airfares.  By balancing costs across our program, we are able to assist some research that would not be self-supporting.  Depending on the size and needs of your team, approximately 50% of the expedition contribution goes directly to the scientist as a research grant; 34% covers field management which includes production of briefing materials, advance planning, reconnaissance, field safety assessment, logistical support and to cover emergency medical evacuation; and 16% is used for team recruitment, communications, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from volunteer travel to the host country and post expedition follow-up. 

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Costs Not Included

The main additional costs will be your transport expenses to and from the rendezvous site, which is listed in the expedition guide.  Additional costs may include passports, visas, airport taxes, and the costs of any side trips made during time off from the expedition. Some expeditions have additional in-country travel costs to reach the expedition site.  Ask our Expedition Manager if this is relevant to your expedition.

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Payment Policy

 If you sign up:

  • 90 days or more prior to team departure: a minimum AU$500 deposit (AU$100 for Weekend expeditions) is required to reserve a place on an expedition.  The balance of payment is due 90 days* prior to team departure.
  • less than 90 days prior to team departure: the full contribution is required to reserve a place on an expedition as funds will have already been committed to the scientist at this stage. 

*If your full expedition contribution is not received by 90 days prior to team departure, Earthwatch reserves the right to cancel your expedition place without further notice.

Scientist For A Day (1 day) Expeditions:

  • full payment is requested at the time of booking for all 1 day expeditions.

Trip and flight cancellation insurance is highly recommended. You are advised to check flight availability prior to making expedition payments.

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Method of Payment

You may choose to pay online or by phone via credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Diners Club), by cheque, money order or via electronic transfer - call our office for banking details.

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Cancellation Policy

If you cancel: 

  • 90 days or more prior to team start date: payments are 100% refundable less AU$100 handling fee.  If you transfer to another expedition 100% of your payment will be credited - there will be no handling fee.
  • between 60 and 89 days prior to team departure: your deposit  is non-refundable, the remainder of your payment is refundable.  If you transfer to another expedition 100% of your payment will be credited - there will be no handling fee.
  • less than 60 days prior to team departure: there are no refunds or transfers, all payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.  The only exception is if you are denied acceptance on the expedition by Earthwatch or the Principal Investigator.  See Right of Refusal below. 

Scientist For A Day (1 day) Expeditions:

  • 14 days* or more prior to team start date: payments are 100% refundable less AU$30 handling fee.  If you transfer to another expedition 100% of your payment will be credited - there will be no handling fee.
  • less than 14 days* prior to team departure: there are no refunds or transfers, all payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.  The only exception is if you are denied a place on the expedition by Earthwatch or the Principal Investigator.  See Right of Refusal below.

*If your full expedition contribution is not received by 14 days prior to team departure, Earthwatch reserves the right to cancel your expedition place without further notice.

Trip and flight cancellation insurance is highly recommended.

Note: Any funds retained due to late cancellation will support expedition field research and will be considered a donation to Earthwatch Australia.

Earthwatch Cancellation

In the event that Earthwatch must cancel an expedition or team, your expedition contribution will be refunded in full.  As Earthwatch expeditions are designed to meet the needs of the scientist, teams may be cancelled if there are not enough volunteers to collect a meaningful amount of data or otherwise do enough useful research.  Other reasons for cancellation may include, but are not limited to, extreme weather at the research site or political unrest in the host country. Earthwatch does not reimburse airfare or other personal travel expenses associated with a cancelled expedition.  For this reason, trip cancellation insurance is highly recommended.

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Expedition Forms

All volunteers will need to complete expedition forms including a health form which may require a doctor's signature.  Earthwatch needs the expedition forms at least 60 days prior to the departure of your expedition, or in the case of late bookings, by a mutually agreed date.  The forms contain valuable information for Earthwatch and the Principal Investigator to help make the field experience a success.  Earthwatch reserves the right to remove any volunteer from a team if we do not receive their completed forms in a timely manner.

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Right of Refusal

Earthwatch reserves the right to refuse bookings on its expeditions.  Refusal is an unusual event and is normally due to an applicant's failure to meet the health and fitness requirements of a particular expedition or if Earthwatch is concerned about disruption or team compatibility. Earthwatch will support the right of the expedition staff to dismiss a participant from an expedition once in the field should their behaviour compromise the safety, research objectives or general performance of the team.  

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Travel Bookings

You need to arrange your own travel to and from the rendezvous point. Be certain to read carefully the rendezvous information in the briefing before making any booking.  Please do not book your flights until you receive the most current expedition briefing or ask for advice from Earthwatch.  Try to make sure that the tickets are refundable or changeable, bearing in mind that there is always a slim possibility that expedition dates may change.

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Discounts for Past Team Members 

Past team members are eligible for the following discounts:

  • 2nd - 9th expedition - 5% discount*
  • 10th + expedition - 10% discount*

*Past team member discounts do not apply to one day or weekend expeditions and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount.  Past team member discounts only apply to those who fully funded their previous expedition.

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Correct as at July 2009. Earthwatch Australia retains the right to change these Terms and Conditions without notice.